Back in early October, 2021, Simon Jordan went big live on talkSPORT, claiming the Saudi-backed takeover at Newcastle United was “deader than a dead thing from dead land.”
Just a few days later, however, he couldn’t have been proven more wrong, as a £300m deal involving PIF, Amanda Staveley’s PCP and the Reuben brothers was formally announced on 7th October, sparking memorable scenes of celebration and relief outside St James’ Park.
Four years on, Jordan has been discussing his poorly timed comments on a deal being ‘off’ and the £1billion payout that changed everything for PIF:
“Ten minutes after saying that I got a text that the Saudis have copped to piracy and agreed to pay beIN £1bn in compensation. The moment I heard that I said, ‘Oh my God, they’re going to do this deal’.”
“Well done to Amanda, she’s a hustler and she gets deals done. Fair play to her. She had a right to put me in my place and that’s what she tried to do.
“At the time I was very solid on why they wouldn’t get through the door because piracy was at the centre of it and the Premier League was having none of it because it was their product that was being hijacked.
“The moment they changed and copped to the piracy, which is what they did, all bets were off and of course I got made to look like a fool.”
As shown in the video above, Jordan and Danny Murphy discuss where Newcastle stand four years on, discussing the “definite progression”, our strongest squad ever, return to the Champions League and trophy last season, along with Eddie Howe’s ability to “evolve the team” as we bid to push on despite the PSR restrictions that hold us back from the ‘big six.’
Jordan believes there are a few key factors that could make or break our ability to establish ourselves as top contenders and part of the Premier League elite:
- PSR rules and our ability to grow rapidly if they are scrapped
- Keeping Eddie Howe
- Keeping our star players (avoiding another Alexander Isak situation)
- Growing commercial revenues season on season, while staying in the UCL
He believes “all bets are off” if PSR rules are scrapped, feeling we could quickly become the ‘next Man City’ and enjoy that rapid growth we’ve been waiting for, accepting that route to the very top looks much tougher if financial laws continue to limit us.
Whatever happens, it has been a superb four years, seeing us finish 4th, 7th and 5th in that time, enjoy two Champions League campaigns and Carabao Cup glory last season, ending a 70 year wait for major silverware with a group of players we adored.
Here’s to the next four years and hopefully more exciting times ahead!
